Officials tackle bus route issues

School system seeking new drivers, working out kinks

Lori Wynn
Bryan County News

POSTED:August 18, 2012 8:30 a.m.

Crissie Elrick/

The Richmond Hill Primary School marquee on Ford Avenue shows the call for additional bus drivers that are needed in Bryan County. The shortage of drivers has been the main cause for issues in South Bryan bus routes since school began Aug. 3.

Parents in Richmond Hill may have noticed some changes in routes and schedules for their children’s bus ride since school got back under way a couple of weeks ago. Some parents are concerned with bus safety and overcrowding, and the sometimes sudden changes might be inconvenient, but school officials say they are working as hard as they can to hire more bus drivers and correct any issues in the meantime. “We are working to balance the (bus) loads, but obviously it’s a work in progress,” said Dr. Brad Anderson, assistant superintendent for Bryan County Schools. “We anticipated having close to 65-70 percent ridership (for Richmond Hill Middle School), and it’s been a little more than that.”Another problem has been that a lot of the student population has moved from one neighborhood to another — and most changes of address weren’t made known to the school until after bus routes were established. “Our student population has moved. Routes were based on addresses from last year,” Anderson said.